February 17 '06: A report released by the Government Accountability Office has found sluggishness in the Department of Homeland Security to be factor in the success of the US VISIT program, Government Computer News reported this week.

The program, which is run by the US Customs and Border Protection agency under DHS, uses biometrics and new technology in passports and identification to check airline passengers entering the US for potential links to dangerous activities such as terrorism. The GAO report has made "18 strategic recommendations for management improvements," GCN reported.

In the report, of the 18 recommendations given to DHS, only two were met while 11 were partially completed and five were in the nascent stages of development.

The GAO also found accounting measures not up to par with criteria set by the Office of Management and Budget and that those failures will lead to an inability to provide "decision makers with perspective on the potential variability of the cost and benefit estimates should circumstances change."

Additionally, the program had not "assessed its workforce and facility needs," the report found. "Although considerable time has passed since the recommendations were made," the GAO continued, "key actions have not yet been taken."

And, one of the key recommendations in the GAO report - that privacy concerns and security be addressed in the new program - had not been adopted yet.

"The longer that US VISIT takes to implement the recommendations, the greater the risk that the program will not meet its stated goald on time and within the budget," the report wrote.